Conor McGregor has been away from the octagon for almost five years now. Despite this, the Irishman has consistently found ways to remain in the headlines. Be it through his business ventures, his recent marriage to his longtime partner, or the buzz surrounding his UFC return, expected to happen later this year. But now, while he seems focused on the latter, hoping to feature on the White House card in June, he’s run into some trouble.

Yesterday, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) released to the public compliance notices issued to Conor McGregor and another influencer, Suzanne Jackson, for breaching Irish consumer law by failing to disclose the commercial nature of their social media posts.

Conor McGregor receives compliance notice over Instagram posts

In their notice to the former UFC champ, the CCPC stated, “You, Conor McGregor, a trader, are hereby directed to ensure that, in all futures instances, where a trader has paid you to use editorial content in the media to promote a product or service, you make it clear that such promotion is a paid promotion.

“This includes, but is not limited to, all content forms, e.g. stories, reels, posts, collaborations, on all media where you are promoting any product or service including your ‘own brand’ products and services.” This notice was issued after an inspection identified at least three posts from June 2024 promoting his Forged Irish Stout that failed to use appropriate disclosure labels such as “Ad,” “#ad,” or “Sponsored.”

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is a watchdog organization that enforces competition and consumer protection laws in Ireland so as to promote fair market competition and protect consumer interests. As such, the body found McGregor to be in breach of the Consumer Protection Act of 2007, which considers the Irishman a “trader” when he uses his Instagram account (with over 46 million followers) for promotional purposes.

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The notice, which was sent at the beginning of the year, directed McGregor to comply with the CCPC requirements by January 1, 2026. The notice sent to McGregor and Ms Jackson was part of 18 enforcement actions against various traders in Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Mayo, and Offaly.

“CCPC teams will be actively monitoring compliance by these traders,” CCPC official Patrick Kenny said. “Failure to obey a compliance notice is an offence, and we will prosecute those who do not correct their practices.”

According to the CCPC and the Consumer Protection Act 2007, failing to comply invites a fine of up to €5,000 upon summary conviction, and can reach €60,000 or higher for subsequent offenses on indictment. Regardless, as of the writing of this report, there has been no word from the former champ or his team regarding the notice.

This issue arises as McGregor prepares for his potential UFC return in June for the White House card. While McGregor navigates these regulatory issues outside the cage, potential opponents are still lining up for his long-awaited return inside it. One such fighter is Justin Gaethje, who sees an opportunity for a big-money matchup.

Justin Gaethje discusses the possibility of a McGregor fight at the White House

Conor McGregor is arguably one of the big-money matchups in the UFC. And for that, despite his absence, the Irishman still attracts opponents. For instance, reigning interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje said he would fight McGregor if given the opportunity.

“If it’s McGregor, then McGregor’s going to fight me, and we will be main event anyway,” said Gaethje in a discussion on The Pat McAfee Show. “If Ilia didn’t come back, they would strip him, and I would become undisputed, and then McGregor gets to fight whoever he wants.”

Now, practically, ‘The Highlight’ could potentially face Ilia Topuria in a lightweight title unification fight next. And for McGregor, there have been several speculations about his return opponent. But nothing has been confirmed yet. On that note, who do you think McGregor faces in his UFC return fight?